Phil Collins

Face Value

The best of his solo work

Review Score:

(8/10)
Phil Collins' reputation has suffered substantially over the past twenty years. He may not have been mentioned by either David Brent or Alan Partridge, but it feels like it. Many Genesis fans haven't quite forgiven him for admitting that, before the 'We Can't Dance' album, the band deliberately decided to "sell out", in his words. Maybe it was the rapid drift towards MOR in his solo albums, the chain of failed marriages, or simple jealousy of his money-making, but the critics have not been kind to our Phil in recent years.

I bought this as an LP when it first came out, and have now bought it as part of the new 3CD pack released in 2004 that is excellent value. I must admit I hadn't played the album for 20 years, and it really takes me back. In 2001, his stock was really high: he had been a fantastic vocal replacement for Peter Gabriel in Genesis, and he had won critical acclaim for his spare-time band, the jazz-rock specialists Brand X. So what if he did the odd cover of a Motown hit, or did the occasional pop video? It just added to the fun, and potentially seemed capable of bringing a mainstream audience to jazz-rock.

People coming to 'Face Value' for the first time may wonder what the dominant style is, 'In the Air Tonight' apart. And the answer is jazz-rock. Well, one band in particular: Weather Report. Listeners are strongly advised to buy that band's 'Heavy Weather' and 'Black Market'. (It is no coincidence that Genesis's concert drummer was Chester Thompson, who had also played drums on 'Black Market', nor that the bassist on that album was Al Johnson, who also plays on 'Face Value'.) Basically, 'Face Value' was a popularised version of Weather Report, updated with vocals and drum machines.

(Incidentally, the following year, long before the Prince's Trust ever existed, Phil was invited to play alongside Eric Clapton on John Martyn's 'Glorious Fool' LP.)

But Collins has always been a great opportunist, and he was sensitive to whatever style of music that the greatest number of fans liked. So the jazz-rock tendencies disappeared from subsequent albums, to be replaced by the MOR fug. The trouble was that Phil was a fair singer, drummer, pianist and composer, without being brilliant at any one of these activities. It's no clear if he will be remembered another 25 years from now for anything except 'In the Air Tonight', and to be frank, engineer Hugh Padgham deserves much of the credit for the sound of that song.

Enjoy this album for what it hoped to achieve -- i.e. to bring jazz-rock to a larger audience -- and weep for the fact that the larger audience later pulled Phil away from jazz-rock and towards the MOR.

More Reviews: